Class Trip
by SolarCat
Summary: Discontinued. Kagome's class goes on a camping trip. There's only one problem: A certain hanyou refuses to be left behind...
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha. This applies to the whole fic, since I'm lazy and don't want to write it a bunch of times. -.-  
  
Ch. 1: Wake-up calls, pillow fights, and the scariest words known to Kagome.

"KAGOME!!!!!!"  
  
'I could really learn to hate that wake-up call...' Kagome Higurashi thought to herself as she sat up in bed, awaiting the arrival of a certain, extremely loud hanyou. She didn't have to wait too long. "What are you doing here?" she asked as soon as his feet hit the carpet below her window. "You're supposed to be back today." Inuyasha stated matter-of-factly as he sat down on the floor of her room, his back to the wall. "NOT at 7 o'clock in the morning!" "Why not?" he asked in that infuriatingly innocent tone of voice that all guys have the ability to use. "AAAAARRGHHHH!!!!" She half growled, half yelled at him as she threw a pillow in the general direction of his head. He caught it before it actually got there.  
  
"You really need to learn to throw better. That was pathetic." He commented with a smirk.

"Why you..." she jumped out of bed, oblivious to the fact that she was still in her pajamas, and started smacking him over the head with the pillow that had remained on her bed.

"Hey! Stop it!" he yelped, before apparently realizing that he was also in possession of a pillow. The one she had thrown at him before. So, he started hitting back (but mostly just blocking). Thus began the great pillow fight, which will live in infamy as being kinda strange to watch.  
  
Kagome let out a small shriek at his retaliation, and jumped up on her bed to get the upper hand once more. Unfortunately, this only works when your opponent doesn't jump up after you. Hers did. And so, the crazy pillow fighting frenzy continued, just quite a bit bouncier. Perhaps too bouncy. The next thing Kagome knew, she was teetering on the edge of the bed, windmilling her arms in an effort to stay upright.  
  
"Eeep!" She squeaked as she lost the battle, and closed her eyes to wait for the bruising that the floor would give her. And she waited. And continued to wait. Then she became increasingly aware of a pleasant warmth at her back and a pair of arms that had wrapped themselves around her waist. She opened her eyes, only to be confronted with a curtain of silver-white hair. She followed said hair upwards to its source, to see the laughing golden eyes of the hanyou staring down at her.  
  
"Daijobu?" he asked softly.

"Um... yeah, I think so..." Kagome answered uncertainly, suddenly aware of the fact that her pajama top had ridden up so far that the top of his arm was just brushing the bottom of her breasts. She blushed about five shades of red and continued, "Um...You can let go of me now, Inuyasha."  
  
"No, I can't." He protested with a smirk, "Unless you want to fall the rest of the way." Kagome then realized that she had been too preoccupied with his arms to notice her feet. They were still on the edge of the bed, guaranteeing that if he let go, she would indeed fall the rest of the way. "Well then, would you at least help me stand up?" she asked sweetly.

"What's in it for me?" he asked, still smirking down at her. It was at this point that Kagome realized that she was still in possession of a pillow. SMACK!  
  
"Ow! Hey!" confused, he removed one of his hands from around her waist to nurse his forehead.

"I won't do that again."

"Huh?" now he was really confused.

"You asked me what's in it for you. I won't do that again." Now it was Kagome's turn to smirk.

"But that's letting you off easy!" he said, with overly dramatic disappointment. He gave her a toothy grin and lifted her up a bit more, revealing even more skin (to Kagome's obvious embarrassment), so that she could get her feet under her. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his other arm back around her waist. "But okay." He whispered softly, right next to her ear. She blushed again, but this time at the tingle that went through her at the feeling of his lips moving on the side of her ear and the feeling of his breath on her cheek. She leaned back into him, eliciting a soft purr and a slight nuzzling of the side of her head. The two of them stood there a moment, savoring the warmth that had grown up between them.  
  
"Kagome!!" her mother's voice broke them out of their trance, or as Kagome thought, back to their senses. "Kagome, are you awake?"

"Yes, mama!" she yelled back.

"Breakfast is ready! You don't want to be late, remember!"

"Yes mama! I'll be right down!"  
  
She turned her attention back to Inuyasha, who hadn't moved at all when her mother had yelled to her. She twisted around in his grip and placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back a few inches. "I have to go to school now, Inuyasha." She told him simply, looking him straight in the eye.

"But you said you'd come back today!" he whined, sounding much like Sota when he wanted to stay up an extra half hour. "I will come back! Just... later!" She argued. "My class is going on a trip today, and since I managed to make up so much of my work so quickly, my teachers decided I was allowed to go." She noticed the look on his face at this and quickly continued, deciding to use her one backup when asking and pleading didn't work. Fake crying. "I never get to spend any time with my friends! Every time you actually let me come back, I have to spend all of my time doing my make-up work! You never let me have any fun!" 'And now for the tears...' she thought, focusing on making her expression pitiful and welling up her eyes with tears.  
  
"H-hey! Don't cry!" he panicked, as always. "You can go! I never said you couldn't go!"

'Yes!' Kagome thought, her mind doing a little victory dance.

"But I'm going with you."

'Shit.'


	2. Well, This Complicates Things

Ch. 2 Well, This Complicates Things a Bit…

"Um, well … You can't go, Inuyasha."

"Why not?"

'He just has to use that damn innocent tone!! WHY, oh why did he have to come to get me so early today!? I think fate is out to kill me…'

There was a small problem for Kagome in dealing with the situation. She really hadn't been entirely truthful about the "trip", up to this point. The concept of a "field trip" had been explained to Inuyasha before, mainly so she could go on one her class was doing. But this "trip" was a "Class Trip", which is different in that it takes much longer. In the case of Kagome's class, a week (7 day week, not school week). A week Kagome had planned on using as a vacation. True, the trip would require a lot of walking, but she was used to that. Her class was taking a camping trip for the first four days of the week, with one of those days spent at a "surprise" location that the teachers kept secret. However, the students had figured out that the site was some historical something that a bunch of archeologists were digging up.

But, it was the last three days that would be really fun. They got to spend the last part of the trip in a small town that was famous for its hot springs. Sure, the teachers were also going to make them visit some stupid museum, but that could be dealt with, and it would only be a few hours. The rest of the time Kagome had planned on spending having fun with her friends, something she rarely got to do.

Sure, all the camping was kind of like normal, but the bonus for Kagome was NO shards, NO demons, and most of all, a break from dealing with Inuyasha 24/7. Now, he just had to come along and screw up all her plans. 'Damn him…' Kagome was fuming.

"You can't go because this isn't a normal field trip. Plus, how am I supposed to explain you!?" Kagome already knew the answer to her own question. 'Hi, guys. This is that two-timing jerk I told you all about. Say hi, Inuyasha! Right. Like that's going to help me at all. They'll probably try to kill him for 'hurting' me, and he'll have no idea what's going on…'

"So if its not a 'normal' trip, then what kind of trip is it?" He settled himself down on her bed, awaiting an answer. 'She is definitely hiding something.' He determined himself not to leave until he knew what was going on. And that would be after this 'trip' thing was over.

"Um, its kind of an extended trip."

"Extended for how long?" He was beginning to get pissed off, mostly because he was beginning to see what was going on. She was going to leave so he couldn't drag her back for a longer time.

"Just a week! 7 days, that's it!" She started acting perky and upbeat in an effort to forestall the waves of anger she could feel around the hanyou.

"So you were gonna run off and leave us for a week, huh? And what were you expecting for me to tell everyone else when I got back and you weren't with me? For that matter, what had you planned on saying to explain yourself to me, hm? 'Oh, sorry Inuyasha,'" he started in a little hi-pitched voice, mocking her, "'I forgot all about you, and the others, and the jewel. I found something better to do, so I left.' And then when I get mad, I get 'osuwari'd and you get off with a 'Welcome back, Lady Kagome'. Nope, not happening this time."

Kagome was a little shocked that Inuyasha had actually almost made a speech, and actually seemed to have a point. 'I do seem to osuwari him a lot, lately. Maybe I should watch it. He seems to be taking it quite personally.' (A/N- no duh.)

"I'm sorry." She said, with an edge of disappointment to her voice, as though she was expecting him to forbid her to go, and drag her back through the well. 'She sounds really…, sad.' He realized. And, being his usual self (completely in denial), he had no idea why the thought of her being so sad bothered him so much. But, as it did, he made a decision.

He stood up in front of her, and lifted her chin with two fingers so that her eyes met his. "I forgive you for lying to me, and you can still go." He said shortly. He removed his hand from below her chin and let her hold her head up on her own.

This was yet another shock for Kagome. 'He's not going to drag me back? This is completely unlike him… there's still a catch…and I think I know what it is'

"But only if I go with you." The look on his face convinced Kagome that he wasn't joking at all. It was either class trip with Inuyasha, or no class trip at all.

She resigned herself to the torture. 'This was supposed to be a vacation!'

"Fine. You can go. BUT, if you get into any trouble, or embarrass me at all, I am never speaking to you EVER again!!

He just smirked in response. It had helped that he had known he would win this one. As soon as she had felt guilty for lying to him about the trip, he had had it in the bag. 'And now I get to be with Kagome without that perverted monk and the annoying kit in the way.' (A/N- see, he had ulterior motives! -)

"AND, you have to carry all my stuff for the entire trip!"

"I already do that anyway…" he said under his breath.

"WHAT was that!?"

'I think I may have been wrong about this being a victory…'


	3. With Friends Like These

Ch.3- With Friends Like These -OR- Inuyasha, meet Hojo!

Kagome's mother had been surprised, to say the least, to see Inuyasha follow Kagome down the stairs a few minutes later. The fact that he was carrying TWO bulging packs and was wearing modern clothes only added to the surprise. Still, she offered him a place at the breakfast table and a plate of pancakes before asking her daughter, quite pointedly, "So, how long has Inuyasha been here?"

(The boys were paying no attention, as Jii-chan was trying to 'exorcise' Inuyasha, and Sota was trying to play with his ears.)

Kagome understood what her mother was really asking, but couldn't voice in front of the guys. She blushed bright red before answering. "He got here early this morning. I'm surprised you didn't hear the yelling!" She laughed nervously, incredibly embarrassed that her mother thought she might be doing that. 'Of course, it doesn't help that he's wearing totally different clothes than usual.' She mused, her embarrassment fading. At least her mother had been subtle about asking; not that any of the guys would've noticed, with the chaos down at their end of the table. Kagome sweatdropped as she watched Inuyasha try to eat, dodge her Jii-chan's 'attacks', and try not to get glomped by Sota, all at the same time. It was rather comical.

'I love Jii-chan, but he has as much 'magickal power' as Miroku has restraint'

Finally, Kagome decided they'd both had enough to eat and that it was time to go. "Come on, Inuyasha. We have to go, or we'll be late."

"Oh!" her mother started at this, "Are you going through the well so soon? I thought you were going to go on that trip with your class. I turned in your money already"

"I still am, mom! Gotta go! Bye!" She yelped as she grabbed Inuyasha's hand and tugged him out the door, quickly closing it behind her.

She half-ran across the shrine grounds, still dragging Inuyasha behind her. She stopped at the bottom of the steps to catch her breath and let Inuyasha finish his pancake, which he had managed to grab while being dragged out the door.

"Why'd you run out of there so fast?" he asked after he finished the pancake and they had begun walking in the direction of Kagome's school. It was really unlike her to run out on her family so fast.

"I had to! Do you realize what mama would've done if she knew I was bringing you along on a class trip!? She would've grounded me for sure. Yeah, she likes you and all, but taking you on a trip with minimal adult supervision well, a lot of parents were worried, since this is a co-ed trip, but Mr. Tsuyuki (A/N- I made this name up. If it means something bad, gomen.) told them all that he would personally make sure that there was no 'funny business' and that all the tents were single-sex, not co-ed. So the parents said it was okay to hold the trip. But mom would still be worried. She already has the wrong idea " Kagome trailed off into thought.

Inuyasha was now quite confused. He started trying to sort out what Kagome had said, to see if he could make any sense of it. He had no idea what this "co-ed" thing was, but it must have been important if so many people made a fuss over it. After ten minutes of serious thought he figured out that "co-ed" must mean there were males and females together, because she said the "tents" would be single-sex, which meant there had to be more than one sex there. But what had she said about her mother "having the wrong idea"? And what did it have to do with him, anyway? She said her mother liked him. 'Oh, well. Like she ever makes sense anyway.'

"I still don't see why I have to wear these stupid clothes every time I come to your time." He commented a few minutes later, looking down at his clothes.

He was wearing one of the outfits Kagome had bought for him when he had stayed over for a few days last winter; a pair of loose cargo pants, a blue Puma T-shirt, black baseball cap with a logo for something Kagome called a "band" on it, and a pair of Puma sneakers. He still objected to wearing a shirt with a cat on it, but Kagome told him to get over it.

"And why did I have to put the Tetsusaiga in the bag?" He shrugged the shoulder the bag rested on to demonstrate. "How am I supposed to get to it if something attacks us?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that nothing is going to attack us? You have to wear the clothes because they make you fit in better (And privately Kagome thought they looked pretty darn good on him, anyway.), and the only reason I let you bring the Tetsusaiga at all is to keep you from going youkai on us and killing my whole class."

He continued following her until they reached a large building with a bunch of people Kagome's age milling around in front of it.

"Kagome-chan!" Yuka was the first to spot her as she entered the school grounds. She ran over, with Ayumi and Eri following close behind.

"You're here! We were so worried that you might get sick again and not be able to come!" Eri sounded really relieved that her friend had managed to make it.

Kagome cast a pointed glare at Inuyasha, as if to say "you see what you do to my life!?"

Unfortunately, this had the unpleasant side-effect of directing the girls' attention to Inuyasha. There wasn't much out of the ordinary that they could see, with the hat covering his ears. He had golden eyes and unusually long hair and nails, but that was just quirky. What really attracted attention was that his too-long hair was silver-white. The girls stared for a few moments before determining that, despite the weird hair and eyes, this guy was hot.

Kagome was mostly worried about what they would say if they realized that he had fangs. 'Good thing he doesn't smile too much around other people.' Too worried, in fact, about what could happen to notice what was happening. What was happening was that the girls were assaulting the poor hanyou with tons of questions.

Yuka: Hey! Who are you!?

Ayumi: Why are you carrying Kagome's pack?

Eri: For that matter, why are you carrying two packs?

Ayumi: Are you coming on the trip?

Eri: Kagome didn't tell us she was bringing anyone.

Yuka: Hey! Are you that two-timing jerk Kagome's always crying over!?

At this, Kagome came to her senses and dragged the girls away from their victim, hoping he hadn't figured out what the girls were talking about.

"Okay," Kagome began once she had the girls' attention, "Yes, he technically is my "two-timing jerk boyfriend", but he has no idea that he is my two-timing jerk boyfriend. He isn't even actually my boyfriend, okay? He's just an annoyance that refuses to go away. So, DON'T SAY ANYTHING!!! Got it!?"

The girls were a bit shocked by their friend's outburst, but determined that if she was so set on it they'd better do what she asked.

"So, you like him, but he has no clue? So what's with all this two-timing stuff if you two aren't even going out?" Ayumi was curious about what was actually going on here.

"Yes, I like him. It's a really long story that I don't feel like telling. Lets just say he has commitment issues." Kagome sighed.

Her friends looked at her, all coming to the same conclusion. 'She's got it bad!'

"So what are you going to do about Hojo-kun?" Eri asked, trying to clear up another issue.

"Hojo's coming on the trip!?" Kagome looked shocked, and a bit terrified.

"What's wrong with that? There are three classes going you know. Hojo-kun's class is one of them. We thought you knew." Ayumi informed her.

"This could cause problems." Kagome looked intensely worried.

"Why?" Yuka asked excitedly, "Maybe a little competition will make him see the light!"

Kagome blanched. "I sincerely hope Hojo does not try to be competition."

"Why not?" Eri asked, "Its kind of fun to have guys fight over you!"

"Okay, guys," Kagome said in a tone of voice that she hadn't ever used before. "When Inuyasha fights over me, the opponent doesn't just lose me. Lets leave it at that."

The girls decided to try to figure this out later.

"So, why is he on our class trip? He doesn't go to our school, does he?" Yuka began questioning Kagome again.

"No. He's on the trip because he refused to stay home."

"So he's LIVING with you!?" the girls all yelped at once, attracting the attention of a few upperclassmen on their way to classes.

"No, No!!! He's not. He just comes over a lot. He refuses to stay at his home, is that better?" She was trying to get them to understand the situation, but not too much. She thought about her own statement. 'His home. Does he even have one? I mean, yeah, we all stay with Kaede now, but before that, and before he was pinned to the tree. Sesshomaru kicked him out when his father died, but where did he stay after that? He never said. Hm. I might have to think about that one.'

"Okay, so he's coming on the camping trip. He is the two-timing jerk, but we can't say anything because he doesn't know he's the two-timing jerk. He also doesn't know that you're completely in love with him"

"WHOA! Hold on a sec. I never said that!" Kagome protested, but the girls shut her up.

"As I was saying," Yuka continued, "He doesn't know that you're in love with him, so we can't say anything about that either. Now, what are you going to do about Hojo?"

"I don't really know." Kagome admitted. "I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I don't want him to get himself into a fight with Inuyasha either. I hope he just avoids him."

"Not much chance of that!" Eri quipped.

"What do you mean, Eri-chan?" Kagome looked puzzled.

"Because Hojo's right over there." Ayumi stepped in.

"Where?" Kagome was trying to spot him. The girls turned her around, and Yuka said, "Over there. Talking to your non-boyfriend."

"KUSO!!!" Kagome swore and tore off to stop the impending death of Hojo.

The girls exchanged looks.

"Have you ever heard Kagome swear like that?" Eri asked the others.

"Nope."

"No."

"This is really confusing."

"Yeah, but we can have fun with it." Yuka sounded absolutely evil.

"How?" Ayumi asked her, a bit scared of the look Yuka had in her eye.

"This is how." Yuka began to fill them in on the plan, and they began to laugh at the thought of Kagome's face once she realized what they were planning.

"This is gonna be fun." Yuka grinned.

Inuyasha had watched the girls go off with disgust. Kagome and Sango did this all the time. They'd go off and talk about something, come back all, well, giggly, and refuse to tell the guys what they had been talking about. It really got on his nerves. All they would ever say was that it was "girl stuff" and that he wouldn't be interested. Then they'd giggle again. 'Annoying bitches.' He found a tree nearby in the courtyard and leaned up against it, setting down the packs he was carrying.

He was broken out of this reverie by the approach of a young man who looked a few years older than Kagome (A/N- I don't know how old Hojo is, but he looks older than Kagome to me).

"Hello! I don't believe I've met you before. Are you a new student? My name is Hojo by the way. What's yours?"

Inuyasha was already pissed at the guy, "Hojo" he called himself. He was too damn polite, acting like Miroku did around women right before he groped them. "My name is Inuyasha, not that it's any of your business." Inuyasha retorted, closing his eyes.

"Well, Inuyasha, I was wondering why you were carrying Higurashi's pack. Are you one of her friends?"

"I was carrying the damn thing because she made me. Will you go away now?" He was getting even more pissed off.

"Ah! So you are a friend of Higurashi's!"

"You could say that." Inuyasha answered, deadpanned. "Why the hell do you keep calling the bitch 'Higurashi' anyway? Just call her Kagome like everyone else."

"That would be extremely rude. As are you, apparently. Who are you to call Higurashi such a thing!" Hojo, being his normal naive self, felt that it was his duty to defend Kagome's honor.

"I can call the wench whatever I want to call her. What's it to you, anyway?"

Hojo puffed up (A/N- you know how guys do that!) and answered, "I happen to be Higurashi's"

"Good friend!!" Kagome managed to interrupt before Hojo said something he didn't know he'd regret. "So, Hojo-kun, I see you've met Inuyasha!"

"Yes, I have. Higurashi, why do you associate with this person? He " Hojo continued, regaling Kagome with how rude and uncouth this strange person was.

Meanwhile, Yuka snuck up to Inuyasha and put something in his hand, then whispered in his ear (or where she thought his ear was) for a moment. When she left, he looked down at the object she had handed him, puzzled.

Kagome, however, was still trying to ditch the well-meaning Hojo.

"Well, Higurashi, despite this individual, I am glad to see that you are well. The anemia has gone away, I presume?"

Kagome made a mental note to get her grandfather a medical dictionary so he could come up with some believeable diseases.

"Yes, I'm fine Hojo-kun." She noticed (since she had learned to pick up on such things) that Inuyasha bristled every time she addressed Hojo. 'I wonder why.' She thought on this for a moment while Hojo rambled on. 'Its because I add the –kun to the end of his name!! I do the same thing to Kouga's name! Is he jealous!?' She shot a glance at Inuyasha, but he noticed and turned his head away, disinterested.

'I can't stop calling Hojo Hojo-kun, because he would get insulted, but I don't want to ruffle Inuyasha too much either I'll just tell Inuyasha to chill out later.'

Finally she was able to get rid of Hojo, after telling him about seven thousand times that she was not going to keel over dead on the spot.

"Come on, Inuyasha." She said as soon as Hojo had left. "We have to sneak you on the bus."

"Bus?"


	4. Demons And Buses And Friends, Oh My!

Chapter 4: Demons and Buses and Friends, Oh My!

"Bus? What's a 'bus'?" Inuyasha questioned as Kagome dragged him around to the other side of the school, followed closely by the three girls.

"That is a bus." Kagome stated authoritatively, letting go of his sleeve but giving him a shove towards the large charter bus that was parked in the driveway of the school. Inuyasha, however, was desperately trying to figure out what "that" was. There were only about a billion things he still didn't know about, and Kagome being unspecific wasn't helping matters. He decided to tell her as much.

"Oi! Which 'that' am I supposed to be looking at, wench!?" (A/N: I never said words were his strong suit)

Kagome was about to "osuwari" him for that one, but held back as she remembered that they were being stalked by her "friends" .

"Oh, come on!" she snapped, grabbing for his wrist as she moved quickly forward. He flinched, and she missed.

Both blushed to find themselves holding hands even as Kagome continued to drag the poor startled hanyou across the schoolyard.

"They're holding hands!' Ayumi squeaked from her position behind the other two.

(A/N- You know like on "Looney Tunes" where there are 3 heads sticking out from behind a tree, and that's all you can see of them? Ayumi is on the bottom, then Eri, then Yuka on top.)

"I knew it! I knew she liked him!" Eri chimed in.

"Well, DUH! Everyone knew THAT!" Yuka retorted, "Look at HIM! Its HIM we're worried about!"

"Why?" Ayumi asked, confused. "I thought it was Kagome that we were worried about."

"YES, that is true," Yuka said slowly, as those who deal with idiots learn to do, "But SHE is worried about HIM. We take care of him, we take care of her. Capiche?"

Ayumi blinked. "What does catfish have to do with anything?"

(Yuka: facefault)

Eri helped Yuka up quickly, then turned to Ayumi. "She just meant to ask you if you understood."

"Oh. Okay!"

"Right." Yuka started acting as boss once again, "So, look at him. Does he seem inclined to let go of that hand?"

"No."

"No."

"So what does this tell us?" she coached, again in the "talking to idiots" voice.

"He likes her too!" Eri filled in, grinning madly.

"Well," Yuka interjected, "At least enough to not mind holding her hand. But it's a place to start. Ayumi, did you get a picture of that?"

"Yeah but my mom is gonna be mad if I use up all the film on pictures of them! Film is expensive!"

"It's for charity. She'll understand."

"What charity?"

"The 'Get Kagome and Inuyasha Together Foundation'"

"Wow! I didn't know there was one of those!"

(Yuka and Eri- facefault)

Somehow, Kagome managed to wrestle two bags into the cargo hold of the bus while keeping her grip on Inuyasha's hand (it really hadn't occurred to her that she could let go). He wasn't planning on going anywhere, but Kagome wasn't going to take the risk of him destroying the bus and dragging her back to the Feudal Era out of spite.

After dealing with the bags, she dragged him over to the bus door and began the task of actually convincing him to get ON the bus.

"Inuyasha, you have to get on the bus!" Kagome was trying in vain to shove him through the doors.

"I'm not getting eaten by some f bus just so you can go off on some damn trip!" He snapped back, quite sure that this was some kind of plot to keep him occupied while Kagome ran off, 'Probably with that damn "Ho-ho" guy………' he thought angrily, completely unaware of how jealous it sounded.

"Fine!" Kagome growled, removing her hands from his back and almost causing him to fall over on top of her (which he probably would have done if it wasn't for the rosary and the fact that he didn't want to be left behind and let her go off with some 'stupid human nitwit').

"I'll get on the bus first, then." She stated shortly, then hopped up the steps.

"Wait! Kagome!" he reached out to grab her, unwittingly stepping onto the first of the bus' steps. He realized this a second later, and leaped back off the step like he'd been stung.

"Look, Inuyasha, I'm here, I'm not dead, maimed or otherwise injured. Would you just get on the damn bus!? Or do I have to 'sit' you?" She glared down at him. "Look. Its just like a fancy carriage that moves without a horse, okay?"

That part he understood, but not how it was possible. "So how does it move if there's nothing to pull it?" He questioned suspiciously, still not buying the whole 'bus' idea.

Kagome thought about that one. 'Engines, fossil fuels, he won't understand any of that………even I don't understand some of it.' She finally decided on the easy answer.

"It's magic."

He nodded in understanding, then proceeded carefully up the steps.

Kagome stood at the top, half glaring at him for taking so long, and thinking, 'This would be soooooo embarrassing if anyone saw………'

"Why isn't he getting on the bus?" Ayumi was confused, yet again (A?N- sense a pattern beginning here? Lol. ).

"How am I supposed to know!?" Eri retorted, while trying to figure out the same thing herself.

"He looks almost like he's scared of it or something. But how does that make sense? From all Kagome's said, he sounded really tough." Yuka squinted to try to see them better. "And anyway, why would anyone be afraid of a bus? They're everywhere, everyone rides them. How else would we get around? So why would he be afraid of it?"

"Maybe he was in a car accident!" Ayumi piped.

Eri smacked her on the back of her head. "How would that make him afraid of buses?"

"Maybe a bus hit him or something! I don't know!" Ayumi whined, nursing the bump on the back of her head.

"Will you two SHUT UP!?" Yuka snapped, "I'm TRYING to watch them!"

"So are we! We're just watching different things!" Eri said indignantly.

"Oh, like what? Hitoshii-kun's butt? That is what you always stare at in PE, after all!"

"I- I do not!" Eri stuttered, turning red.

"Oh yes you do! You soooo have a thing for him!"

"I- I DO NOT!" Eri was now completely crimson.

"Um, guys?" Ayumi cut in, "They're on the bus."

"WHAT!?" Yuka whirled around to see for herself. They were indeed on the bus.

"Okay. Just sit here and don't move!" Kagome commanded as she shoved the hanyou into the last row of seats on the bus. Then she left and went back out to talk with her friends. Inuyasha stayed. He figured that it must be safe, since Kagome had left him there without any warnings. He also figured that he had better do what she said, or face a week of the wrath of Kagome without even Shippo around to pick on. So he waited, and waited, and waited. Finally he noticed some movement outside the window of the 'bus', and leaned over so he could see out.

An older human was gathering up all of the ones Kagome's age and seemed to be talking to them. Then she pointed to the buses.

Inuyasha ducked. 'They're probably gonna attack me while I'm stuck here on this damn 'bus' thing without my Tetsusaiga………' He couldn't imagine another reason to gather such a mob except to kill demons. Finally he decided that if they already knew he was there, it would be in his advantage to see where they were. Even if he didn't have Tetsusaiga, he still had his claws………

He looked up only to be faced with a brown haired boy about Kagome's age.

"Is this seat taken?" he gestured to the only other seat in the back row. "If I don't find a guy to sit next to, the girls are gonna kidnap me for the entire bus ride." He grinned apologetically.

Inuyasha was about to tell him that the seat belonged to Kagome, but then he noticed Kagome sitting with her friends about ten rows further up. 'Fine then. If she doesn't want to sit with me………'

"Go ahead" he said to the boy, before glaring daggers in Kagome's direction. The boy noticed, but decided that it was safer not to comment.

"My name's Kuno Hitoshii." He said, extending a hand. Inuyasha didn't respond for a moment, then realized that the boy expected him to give his name in return. He mimicked the boy's hand gesture, and said "Inuyasha."

Hitoshii grabbed his hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you, Inuyasha."


	5. Hitoshii

Class Trip Chapter 5: Hitoshii

"So, Inuyasha," Hitoshii began once the bus had pulled away from the school (startling the hanyou until he noticed that no one seemed alarmed), "Are you from Class A, then? I know most of the people in the lower classes, but not everyone in Class A. I'm in Class B."

Inuyasha didn't understand what the hell this kid was talking about, but he wasn't stupid enough to pass up an opportunity to excuse his presence on Kagome's trip.

"Aa. Who's the onna?" he asked, gesturing to the woman who had gathered the mob outside. Hitoshii looked at him quizzically for a moment before the lights went on (so to speak).

"Oh! You were on the bus already, weren't you? That's Miss Nomiso. She's subbing for Mr. Okura. He got sick last night, but they didn't want to cancel our trip. So, we got a sub. Everyone's probably going to be causing a lot of trouble. And those tents aren't going to stay 'single sex' for very long........." he grinned conspiratorially as he trailed off. "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly, "That just reminded me! You weren't outside, so you didn't hear, but we have to find tent partners. What do you say? Partners? We can defend each other from the crazy girls."

Inuyasha thought about the proposal. He didn't know any guys here (except that Ho-ho baka, but he didn't count as a guy), and Hitoshii didn't seem too annoying. "Yeah." He shrugged, "That sounds okay. But I don't think I need much protection."

Hitoshii looked him over quickly. "You may need more than you think."

"Well, I don't think you'd be able to help much." Inuyasha smirked. 'He's just a human, and he thinks I need protecting!'

"I'll have you know I'm the captain of the Kendo club!" Hitoshii was a bit put out at Inuyasha's slight of his abilities.

"Kendo?" Inuyasha looked puzzled.

"Kendo!" Hitoshii looked shocked. "You know? Sword fighting?"

"You can use a sword?" Inuyasha was beginning to think this trip might not be so bad after all.

"I hope Inuyasha isn't getting into trouble." Kagome fretted, fearing to turn around lest she be confronted with Inuyasha threatening to claw someone to death.

"He's fine, Kagome-chan." Eri said, turning to check on him, then turning back to the girls. "In fact, he may be better off than us!"

"Huh?" Kagome was really thrown by that one. She found herself (in direct disobedience to the part of her brain that was trying to tell her that she didn't care) turning to check on him herself.

Inuyasha seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion/debate (about sword fighting, if she was interpreting the boys' hand signals properly) with Kuno Hitoshii, the captain of the Kendo club.

"Well, that solves the tent problem." Yuka commented from behind them. Kagome and Eri turned back around to face the short-haired girl. Yuka rested her arms on the back of her chair (A/N- she and Ayumi are sitting in the row in front of Kagome and Eri, but Ayumi is asleep).

"What tent problem?" Eri asked, looking slightly confused.

"We have to share tents, remember? Two to a tent. There are four of us."

"But how have we solved it?" Kagome asked, wondering how this all managed to get back to Inuyasha.

"Easy. The boys are going to share a tent, obviously, so you and Eri-chan are going to share a tent." She grinned evilly. "That way it'll be easy for you and the boys to, how shall we say, get some privacy?"

Both the girls blushed to their ears and started babbling random negative statements, including, "But we aren't!" "We wouldn't!" and random other squeaks. Neither had stopped blushing five minutes later.

Yuka, pleased with her work, turned around and sat down.

Once Kagome had recovered somewhat, she decided to change the subject. "Ne, Eri-chan? What's been going on at school lately? I've been out of the loop."

Hitoshii and Inuyasha had surprisingly stopped talking about swords (the debate had gotten to the point where it could only be continued after a duel) and had started talking about one of the other topics they had in common.

"Those girls are crazy. They think I'm 'cute' so they all mob me. Doesn't help that I'm captain of the Kendo club. I get so many 'home-made' cookies in a week......... it's gonna make me fat!" Hitoshii laughed. "But at least I eat pretty well. Every day, at least two girls make me lunch!"

"What's so weird about that? Kagome always makes lunch for us." Inuyasha grinned, thoughts of Kagome's ramen taking over his brain momentarily.

"WHAT!?" Hitoshii gaped at him. "She makes you LUNCH? But how? I mean, she's always sick, and besides, isn't she going out with Hojo?"

Inuyasha stopped grinning. "Keh. That Ho-ho baka? Why would Kagome have anything to do with him? At least he's not as annoying as Kouga though........." He muttered as he trailed off.

Hitoshii was too busy getting over the 'she always makes lunch' shock to comment on the strange name.

"So, is Kagome your girlfriend, then?" Hitoshii questioned, trying to sort out his now hopelessly confused brain, "And if she is, why aren't you sitting next to her? OH! That's why you were glaring at her earlier, wasn't it? Because she sat up there instead of back here?"

Inuyasha thought about how to answer all of that. "Iie. That IS why I was glaring, but she's not my girlfriend."

"So if she's not your girlfriend, why does she make you lunch and why were you mad that she wasn't sitting next to you?"

"She's the only person I really know around here." Inuyasha answered reluctantly.

"Oh. Well, I suppose being in Class A would set you apart a bit. I am wondering though, are you new student here also? No offense, but I think I would have noticed you before."

"Aa. I'm only here for a little while though."

"You must move around a lot, then?"

"Yeah. A LOT." Inuyasha almost grinned at that. 'How true... we do move around a lot, I guess. But we always wind up coming back to the village... but sometimes not for weeks. Maybe that's why Kagome always wants to leave and come here. She gets to stay in one place. But now she's on this trip! Does that girl ever make up her mind!?'

"That must be hard." Hitoshii said sympathetically.

"Huh? What's hard?"

"Well, moving around so much. It must be hard to make friends."

"Yeah, I guess so. Where are we going on this trip, anyway?

"They didn't tell you? Well, we're hiking for a couple of days, then we wind up at this 'mystery location', which we figured out is some archeological site way up in the mountains, then some more hiking, then we're staying at this hot springs village for the last couple of days. Its eight days total, but I'm sure they told you at least that. We're all going to be really tired by the end!"

"Keh. Doesn't sound that bad." Inuyasha was wondering why Kagome wanted to go on some stupid hiking trip when they did that all the time anyway.

FLASHBACK

"I never get to spend any time with my friends!"

END FLASHBACK

'Oh.' Inuyasha glanced forward to where Kagome was sitting with her friends. She was laughing at something one of the girls had said, and smiling so wide it looked almost painful.

"You like her, don't you?" Hitoshii asked, following the hanyou's gaze.

"What? Of course I don't! Why would anyone like HER!?" he "Keh'd" and turned his head to look out the window.

"Right." Hitoshii looked out the window as well. "Hey! We're here!"

"Where else would we be, Hitoshii?" a brown-haired girl in front of them asked, rather sarcastically.

"No, no! I mean we've arrived! No more bus!" As the bus pulled into a small parking lot, the rest of the class cheered. Inuyasha wished for the first time in his life that he didn't have such good hearing.


	6. AHiking We Will Go!

Class Trip Ch. 6- A Hiking We Will Go!

The class got off the bus and found their packs in the cargo hold, then Miss Nomiso gathered them into a group. Inuyasha was still carrying both his pack and Kagome's. He wasn't complaining- it still weighed less than the usual one. Hitoshii stood to one side, and Kagome was on the other. The girls were watching every move they made.

"Okay," Miss Nomiso began once she had everyone's attention, "You all know I'm new, and I don't know all your names. So, if you have a question, raise your hand. When I call on you, please give me your name when I call on you, ok?" The class nodded their agreement.

"Good! First off, while we are on this trip I expect everyone to follow basic safety. We will be using both matches and pocket knives at some time during this trip. There will be NO funny business! I will not hesitate to call the ranger station and have you removed." Several of the rowdier boys in the crowd gulped.

"Secondly, you are at no time permitted to touch my things, ESPECIALLY the radio. This is our only link to civilization, and I think you all want that to remain safe." She showed them the radio clipped to her belt. The class nodded again in response to that statement. No electronic devices except CD/MP3 Players had been allowed on the trip, and were only allowed to be used once the group had camped for the night.

"Other than these rules," Miss Nomiso started again, "the rules are simple common sense. Don't cause trouble, stay with the group and have fun!" She grinned broadly as the class cheered again (A/N- remember, last chapter???).

"Well, I told you all to find partners. Your partner will be your tent mate. NO co-ed tents!" The class groaned. She glared at them until they all shut up.

"Find your partner, then come up and get a tent. You will be responsible for the tent. Any damage will be paid for by you, not the school!"

Kagome, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi quickly got their tents, and Kagome offered to carry both (intending to make Inuyasha do the actual work). Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Hitoshii got their tent as well, with Hitoshii volunteering to catty it once he caught the obvious gleam in Kagome's eyes. His instincts were right.

By the time they started walking, Inuyasha was carrying both his and Kagome's packs and both of the girls' tents.

After almost an hour of hiking, Hitoshii was still marveling at Inuyasha. 'He's been carrying two packs and two tents for almost an hour now, and he's still walking as fast or faster than most of the class!'

Inuyasha, meanwhile, was arguing with Kagome over carrying even MORE baggage.

"Yuka-chan, Eri-chan and Ayumi-chan are tired! You can carry plenty more and you know it!"

"Why should I carry THEIR stuff!? I said I'd carry yours like I always wind up doing anyway, but I never agreed to carry EVERYONE'S stuff!"

"You also agreed to do what I told you, and I'm TELLING you to CARRY THE PACKS!!!"

He easily recognized the tone of voice. It usually preceded an "OSUWARI!!".

"Keh. Fine, I'll carry the damn things. But tie 'em together or somethin'. I only have so much shoulder, ya know."

Kagome was shocked. 'He actually agreed? And I didn't even have to use a single 'osuwari'? He must be sick or something.'

So, she tied the girls' bags together with her own and Inuyasha's, leaving Tetsusaiga accessible enough that he wouldn't complain, and gave the whole thing back to him. 'It isn't really that bad. Only a little heavier than the usual one, actually. What the hell does she put in that thing, anyway!?'

Hitoshii's eyes were now bulging out of his head. 'He just took THREE more packs like it was nothing! He's carrying FIVE packs and two tents, and making it look easy! Who the hell is this guy!?' As Hitoshii gaped, Miss Nomiso called out,

"That's an hour, guys! Time for a break!"

Again, Inuyasha wished for earplugs.

The class took a fifteen minute break, during most of which Inuyasha sat on a tree limb and mused.

Why would Kagome want to go on some stupid hiking trip so badly that she wouldn't even tell him about it? He wouldn't have let her go, but then all she had to do was pull the classic "'Osuwari!'-and-run" routine. They'd done it so many times he's nearly forgotten that he COULD just LET her go.

'What if I did just let her go sometime? She'd probably look at me like I'm crazy or somethin'.'

She had said something about letting things go once. He'd mostly ignored it, once she got to that point. He'd figured she was just dropping hints about wanting to go home again.

'What was it she said anyway?' he wished he could remember. 'Might give me some idea why the hell she always wants to leave.'

Hitoshii sat on the other side of the clearing, wondering how the heck Inuyasha got fifteen feet up in a tree without being seen climbing. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying any attention to anything else. He didn't even have time to yelp as several clawed hands dragged him into the bushes.

A/N- so what did you think? Just kidding, Just kidding! I wouldn't leave you all there! There's more to the chapter! (PS- don't worry about Hitoshii, I wouldn't kill him! He's more fun to have around!)

"What do you want?" Hitoshii asked with a gulp, facing his captors. The girls had him backed up against a tree and surrounded on three sides.

"YOU are going to help us." Yuka grinned, hands on her hips.

'Oh no.'

Kagome was using the break as a welcome rest from watching Inuyasha's every move- which her friends had interpreted as "checking him out" and she interpreted as "checking up on him"- as well as from her friends' constant chatter.

'It's funny. I've gotten so used to hiking without all that noise, just the occasional fight, or Sango and Miroku arguing, or Shippo and Inuyasha arguing. Have I changed, or what? I almost can't stand all this noise!' She sighed and leaned back against a tree. 'Inuyasha isn't being as bad as I thought he would be. He isn't even complaining about stopping to rest! It's really odd. Why would he want to come on this trip, anyway? He could have just waited at home, then come back to get me in a week. Where is home for him, anyway? Obviously not Kaede's hut, since he seems to avoid staying there if he can. He has the tree, I suppose. But what kind of a home is that? The place where you died? That's kind of morbid. How can the place where you were betrayed and killed be 'home'?'

Kagome looked to where Inuyasha was perched on a tree limb ('as usual') across the clearing. He was looking off into, much as she had been just a few moments before. She sighed a bit as she made a decision. Standing, she walked over to the tree currently occupied by the hanyou.

"Ne, Inuyasha?" she spoke quietly as she settled herself against the base of the tree, knowing full well that he could hear every word she said.

"Hn?" was the only response, but she knew he was listening.

"You aren't having any fun on this trip, are you?"

"Keh."

"Well, at least you and Hitoshii-kun are getting along, right?"

"Why do you do that?"

Kagome was puzzled. "What do you mean, Inuyasha?"

"You add –kun to the end of every guy's name except mine and the bouzu's. Why do you do that?"

"Well..." Kagome paused, "because they're my friends, I guess. It's appropriate."

"Hn." He looked away, effectively ending the conversation.

Kagome continued to lean back against the tree in silence. A moment later, she jerked upright.

"Inuyasha!" she muttered urgently, trying not to be overheard by any of her classmates, "Did you sense that?"

"Hn." He grunted in agreement, looking intently down the trail.

"It's a demon, somewhere over there." She gestured to the road ahead.

"It's not very strong, though." He commented, relaxing again. "I'll take care of it if it causes any trouble. Enjoy your trip with your 'friends'"

Kagome was in shock. She expected him to take care of the demon, but to tell her to have a good time while he did? 'What is going on here? He's acting all weird.'

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she missed the look of hurt that briefly flashed across his face before being covered by his usual scowl.

"Okay everyone! That's fifteen! Only another hour before we make camp for tonight, so lets get going!" Miss Nomiso yelled as she picked up her pack and began to continue down the trail.

Inuyasha hopped down from his perch, picked up "his" packs and started walking. Kagome looked after him for a moment before following after him.


	7. Camping How Different

Class Trip Chapter 7- Camping. How Different...

After a rather uneventful second hour of hiking (only 2 poison ivy scares, and the demon aura had disappeared), the class reached the campsite.

"This is a fairly popular campsite on the weekends," Miss Nomiso told the class as they arrived, "So there are logs to sit on around the fire and so forth. By tomorrow night we will have reached our first destination. I will reveal what the destination is tomorrow at lunchtime. I trust you all followed directions and brought enough food to last for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow?"

The class- including Kagome, to Inuyasha's relief- nodded.

"Good. We will be resupplied with food at our destination, but until then you'll have to rely on what you brought with you. You are also responsible for cooking whatever you brought, understood?"

The class nodded again.

"I have a couple pots for students who need them. There is a stream a few meters that way," she pointed to the left, "where you can get water to cook with."

A short girl with glasses raised her hand timidly.

"Yes?" Miss Nomiso pointed to her, "and give your name please?"

"Um, it's Sakura, ma'am. Ah, isn't cooking with water from a stream unsanitary?"

Miss Nomiso smiled reassuringly. "A good observation. I assume that anyone who would need water to cook with would need to boil it, correct?"

Those who did need water all nodded their heads.

"Well, boiling the water kills off any bacteria, so it should be just fine. A good question though. Any others? No? Alright then. Set up your tents, and you're free for the rest of the evening. But remember, don't go far from camp! We don't want to lose anyone!" She released them all with a wave of her hand.

Inuyasha dropped the pack-of-packs he was carrying and ripped his own bag loose, leaving the girls to recover their packs. Checking to make sure that Tetsusaiga was there, the lifted it onto his shoulder and looked at Hitoshii, who had been scouting for a good place to put their tent. Though Inuyasha had every intention of sleeping in one of the nearby trees, he didn't want to be "removed" by the weird woman Hitoshii had called a "sub". With a demon around, he wasn't about to leave Kagome alone with a bunch of humans, especially not Hojo. Of course, that's what he meant. His brain actually processed the thoughts as: 'I can't get kicked out of here, the stupid wench'll get herself killed without me around. Damn humans. They ain't worth crap if there's a demon around. Especially not that 'Ho-ho' bastard.'

Hitoshii found a spot near the trees, much to Inuyasha's relief. He could easily sneak off to spend the night comfortably in a nearby tree, and not on the ground confined by a pine-green 'tent'.

Kagome and Eri's tent was pitched not five feet away, mostly because Yuka forced them to put it there. Yuka placed her and Ayumi's tent on the non-boys'-side of Kagome and Eri's.

As soon as the tents were all up (about half an hour later, after most of the students had proven that they could swear like sailors and Hojo had nearly fainted because of it), they decided to have dinner. Or rather, Yuka decided and convinced Kagome and the other two, Kagome forced Inuyasha, and Hitoshii came along for support of "Guys' Camaraderie" against the army of girls. The group took over two logs at the fire pit, Kagome, Inuyasha, Hitoshii and Eri on the larger of the two (Yuka again) and Yuka and Ayumi on the other. Apparently everyone had brought instant ramen- Kagome had managed to grab extra for Inuyasha that morning- but no one knew how to cook it over a campfire. Except Kagome. So, she forced Inuyasha to fetch water and cooked six servings of ramen. She passed it out, contemplating the fact that she was going to have to do the same at lunch the next day. She started thinking as she stared into her Styrofoam ramen cup. 'It's just like normal. Except none of my friends is really similar to Sango, Hitoshii-kun is nowhere near as perverted as Miroku, and of course no one is anything like Shippo. But still, I always end up cooking ramen for Inuyasha. It's like I'm some strange mix of housewife/babysitter/'shard detector'/miko all in one. And I don't even get paid! It's really not fair.' She stayed lost in thought until she heard the cheering.

"Hurry up, Saiyuki! Hitoshii's dueling with some guy!" a boy yelled as he ran towards the back of the campsite.

"I'm coming!" Saiyuki yelled back, running after him.

Kagome looked over at the crowd that had gathered, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew very well who that "some guy" was.


	8. Of Duels and Demons

Class Trip Ch. 8- Of Duels and Demons

TEN MINUTES EARLIER

Inuyasha and Hitoshii threw their ramen cups in a trash bag that had been set up near the campfire, and proceeded to walk to their tent to get the equipment necessary for their duel (A/N- see ch. 5!). Hitoshii grabbed his bokken and turned to Inuyasha.

"Did you bring your bokken with you?"

Inuyasha looked puzzled.

"No. But-"He was cut off mid-sentence.

"Hey!" Hitoshii leaned out of their tent and grabbed a boy who was walking by. "Akio-kun, did you bring your bokken with you?" (A/N- yes, yes, Utena reference... I couldn't resist!) The boy nodded, looking past Hitoshii to the strange figure of Inuyasha behind him.

"Can I borrow it?" Hitoshii asked, breaking the boy's gaze away from his companion.

Akio looked at him oddly. "But Hitoshii-kun, you have yours right there. Why do you need mine?"

Hitoshii grinned. "It's not for me! It's for Inuyasha-kun, there." He gestured over his shoulder. "So, can I borrow it?"

Inuyasha was in a bit of a shock over the honorific, but was starting to notice that everyone used them in this time. 'Keh! Weird. Why does she like this time so much, anyway? Everyone acts so strangely.'

While Inuyasha was puzzling over modern mores, Hitoshii was explaining to Akio about the duel, and why he needed the other boy's sword.

Akio shrugged. "Sure. I'll go get it. But does this guy know what he's getting himself into? I mean, you are the captain of the kendo club!"

Hitoshii grinned again. "I'm sure he knows what he's getting into. He knows a lot himself, at least if he fights as well as he talks about fighting!"

Akio raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but ran off on his errand.

Hitoshii turned around to address Inuyasha again. "He's on the kendo club, too. He's really good. If I wasn't around, he'd probably be the captain."

Inuyasha nodded. It made sense that the leader of a fighting group would be the one who was the most skilled. 'I suppose Miroku would be the leader of our group if something happened to me,' he mused, 'then Sango after him, being female and all.' He snorted softly. 'I'd have a Hiraikotsu mark on the back of my head right now if she'd heard that!'

Hitoshii noticed the noise. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"Iie. I'm fine." Inuyasha shook his head. "Just thought of something funny."

Hitoshii looked like he was going to ask what, but as he was about to, Akio returned with the bokken and handed it to Inuyasha. He nodded and accepted the wooden sword, giving the air a few practice swipes. He grimaced. 'How the hell am I supposed to fight with this thing!? It's not even sharp! And it isn't even HALF as long as Tetsusaiga! These humans fight with these things? No wonder they're all so weak! They don't even use real weapons!'

"It's basically going to be a freestyle duel, so you can use whatever kinds of moves you want," Hitoshii told Inuyasha as they moved to their appointed 'dueling ground' at the edge of camp. "But it's just a friendly match," he continued as he began to stretch, "so we don't have to take it too seriously. If either of us gets hurt we'll both have to go home, so let's take it easy, okay?"

Inuyasha agreed, despite the fact that he was confident that in a real fight Hitoshii would be the only one hurt. Hitoshii finished his stretching and stood up.

"Shall we begin?" Hitoshii asked, then smacked himself. "I'm starting to sound like my cousin!" he said by way of explanation to the confused-looking hanyou. "Anyway, are you sure you're ready? You don't want to warm up at all?" He seemed concerned.

"I'm fine." Inuyasha said firmly, using a voice he had unconsciously stolen from Kagome.

"Alright then........." Hitoshii sounded unconvinced. "Guard." The boy took up his starting position, and Inuyasha copied it.

Akio, who was still standing around and acting as official judge incase both of them suddenly collapsed and no one could figure out who won (like that would ever happen!), started the match quite simply.

"Begin!"

Neither combatant moved. Akio took several brisk steps back. He knew the kendo club captain well enough to know that if he didn't start a fight right away, it was going to be a helluva match!

Hitoshii and Inuyasha were sizing each other up. From the first second of the match they had both known that the other knew a thing or two about fighting. Both their stances were perfect- compact, but loose enough that they could instantly move to attack or defend. Inuyasha's opinion of this human kept rising. He was actually a decent person, and had been kind to him- though he doesn't know you're a hanyou Inuyasha's subconscious kept repeating- and he seemed to actually know how to fight.

Suddenly, as if at an unseen signal, both boys rushed forward, bokken cracking together loudly in the semi-quiet clearing. For a moment they stood, swords crossed, trying to push the other back (though Inuyasha wasn't trying very hard). Then, just as suddenly, both leapt back as quickly as they had moved forward, and went back to sizing each other up. Each's opinion of the other's strength had been raised a few notches. Inuyasha was unusually impressed. He hadn't expected a human to be as good as he was. 'Either he's naturally talented, or he has demon blood in him somewhere along the line.........' Inuyasha pondered, his attention off the fight for a few seconds. Hitoshii took the opportunity. He wasn't as surprised as Inuyasha at his opponent's strength. He had, after all, witnessed him carry five packs and three tents for more than an hour and not slow down a bit. His opinion of his new friend was about as high already as it could possibly get.

Hitoshii lunged in while Inuyasha was distracted; ducking below his guard and forcing the hanyou to leap back in the most undignified fashion in order to avoid the blow.

'He's fast for a human. I didn't even see that one coming. I might actually have to put some effort into this fight!' Inuyasha grinned. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he leapt forward. Now it was Hitoshii's turn to go jumping back.

"You're fast!" He commented, sounding quite relaxed and not at all surprised.

"You aren't so bad yourself." Inuyasha complimented, slightly surprised to find out that he really meant it.

They charged forward again, swords clashing over and over, and both leaping all over their small clearing to avoid the other's blows.

By this time, they had gathered quite a crowd. Most of the class had determined that this was much better entertainment than anything they may have brought with them to do. Kagome cringed as she approached the area, worried that she would find the bruised and bleeding remains of a former kendo club captain when she arrived. It was bad enough that Inuyasha was attracting all this attention, but if he actually beat Hitoshii......... Kagome could only imagine the commotion it would cause. And eventually, someone was going to realize that Inuyasha did NOT go to their school, and was therefore NOT supposed to be on the trip......... Kagome's imagination kept going through all the worst-case-scenarios that it could come up with. So many, in fact, that when she actually arrived at the scene she could not believe her eyes. Hitoshii was not unconscious or dead, and both seemed to be having quite a good time!

'So, if I don't have to worry about Inuyasha getting hurt.........and I don't have to worry about Hitoshii getting hurt.........then I can just sit back and enjoy the show with everyone else?' This was a new prospect, since in every other fight she could recall Inuyasha being involved in, she had been much too busy worrying about staying alive to just sit and watch him fight.

After a few minutes of watching, Kagome was almost in awe. She had always known that Inuyasha was a good fighter, since he always won and all, but she had never noticed that he actually had some pretty amazing moves. 'I suppose I never really thought of him as a swordsman. I mean, he acts like such a thug.........nothing like a samurai with an honor code or anything like that.........he just fights anyone who pisses him off......... but really, he's pretty good.........no, he's amazing! And he's so FAST!' She marveled, unaware of how much she sounded like a groupie. She was so used to watching fights between demons that Inuyasha's speed didn't seem to be anything remarkable, especially compared with the speed of Kouga or even Sesshô-maru, but compared to a human he was like lightning. Kagome found herself cheering along with the rest of her class at all the stunts the two fighters were pulling off.

It was a bit of an awakening for her, in a way. Though she was cheering along, she was mostly lost in thought. There wasn't really a way to describe Inuyasha except as Inuyasha. She didn't really know what that meant. Before, she would describe him as an annoying, insensitive, violent jerk. But now.........she wasn't sure what she would say if someone asked her to describe him.

'Imagine that! I can't even think of how to describe the most important person in my life! Wait.........where did THAT come from!?' Kagome shocked herself back into reality, promising her annoying inner voice that they would have a conversation about this soon. "I wish Sango-chan were here. It'd be nice to have her opinion........." Kagome muttered.

"What?" Eri asked in her ear, causing Kagome to nearly jump out of her shoes.

"E- Eri-chan!" Kagome stuttered, obviously having not noticed her friend was there. "What did you say?"

"I asked what you said! I can't hear you over all of them talking." Eri gestured to the crowd, most of which was busy negotiating bets. "So, your boyfriend's fighting Hitoshii, huh?"

Kagome blushed. "He is NOT my boyfriend!" she stated for probably the millionth time, and definitely not the last.

"Whatever. Do you mind if I bet on Hitoshii instead though? I mean, you know, because........." Eri blushed slightly as well.

"I'd advise against it." Kagome said, with a bit of a knowing smirk creeping onto her face.

"Why?" Eri asked, wondering why Kagome would suggest betting AGAINST the best fighter in the school.

"Because he doesn't stand a chance."

Eri gave her a disbelieving look, but put her money away and turned her attention back to the match.

The duel was still going strong, and the ring of students who had gathered had backed up to give the combatants an area about 20 yards across to fight in. The bets had finally all been made, so most of the conversation was devoted to cheering on whichever fighter they had bet on.

Then, it was over. Hitoshii had tried to come in above Inuyasha's guard, swinging his bokken in a tight arc aimed at the hanyou's collar bone. Inuyasha ducked under the swing and forced Hitoshii to leap back to avoid a hit just under his ribs. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Hitoshii knew it was over. His heel sunk in a patch of the ground that apparently used to be the home of some furry woodland creature. The sudden shift in his weight shifted the boy's momentum to fast for him to react. He landed on his butt in the grass with a dull thud. Inuyasha was over him in an instant, the point of his wooden sword to Hitoshii's throat. They paused there a moment, then both of their faces split into wide grins.

"Well fought!" Hitoshii exclaimed, taking the hanyou's offered hand and hauling himself off the ground.

'You did well yourself, you know! If you hadn't tripped, that fight could have gone on all night!" They both laughed, Hitoshii brushing the dirt off his pants as they did so.

Kagome's head lifted suddenly at the sound. 'He's.........laughing!? Inuyasha is LAUGHING!? Wow.' Kagome smiled. 'He looks so happy. Who would have thought he'd make a friend here?' Kagome blanked out for a few moments, lost in the sight of Inuyasha smiling and laughing, his golden eyes shining brightly in the late afternoon sun.

A pair of orange-red eyes were also watching the same scene from the tree line some space away. The owner of the eyes watched for a few moments, nodded slightly, then turned and ran off the way they had come.

Later That Night

Kagome and Eri were in their tent (the one a whole 2 feet away from the boys' tent) getting ready for bed. The rest of the evening had been pretty boring. The boys were probably still sitting by the fire as they had been for the whole evening, deep in a discussion of sword techniques. The girls had gone to catch up a bit, which mostly involved grilling Kagome about her new 'friend'. Kagome wasn't really interested in answering their questions at that point, with half her class listening, so she found out more about what they had been doing than they found out about Inuyasha.

Eventually, she and Eri had decided to go get ready for bed. Ayumi was getting even more bubble-headed than usual due to being tired, and Yuka hadn't been talking much for the last half-hour or so (if Kagome didn't know better, she would have said that the short-haired girl was plotting something). Kagome was still running over the events of the evening in her head when Eri said,

"Hey, Kagome?"

Kagome gave her a little "Hn?" in response, earning her a smack on the shoulder from her friend.

"Earth to Kagome! You've been spaced out all night! What's going on? Are you getting sick again?" He friend seemed almost worried.

Kagome sighed. "No, I'm not sick, Eri-chan."

"Then what's going on!?" Eri sat down on her sleeping bag and waited, the look on her face making it very clear that she wasn't going anywhere for a while.

Kagome sighed again, then sat down opposite Eri on her own sleeping bag- by now so well used that it almost didn't look like a sleeping bag anymore.

She then said the words that she would very much regret.

"What do you want to know?"


	9. A Revealing Night Part I

Class Trip Ch. 9- A Revealing Night

Inuyasha and Hitoshii headed back to their tent soon after the girls made their exit (causing much speculation among the gossip-mongers of the class), still discussing different sword techniques. Hitoshii had piqued Inuyasha's interest. The hanyou still wasn't entirely convinced that Hitoshii was a normal human being, something just didn't sit right, but he was pleased to have found someone on this trip that he could talk to. He would normally have stuck around Kagome most of the time, but, well......... after her little off-hand 'friends' comment, he wasn't sure she wanted him around. Though he wasn't showing it, and no one outside of perhaps his small group of friends would have noticed, he was feeling just a bit depressed. He had to continually give his brain reminders that he DID NOT care about being the 'damn wench's' friend, or it would have forgotten and he probably would have found a tree to sulk in all night. As it was, he knew that if he did anything "strange", it would draw attention, something he desperately didn't want. Besides Kagome sitting him into oblivion, he knew full well what humans did when they found demons anywhere near them. He was really lucky that the people of Kaede's village respected her enough to let him stay there peacefully. They were well within their rights to drive him out any time they wanted to. It was part of the reason he wanted Kagome around as much as possible. Kaede was old, there was no denying it, and her only successor to the position of village miko was Kagome. If Kaede died while Kagome wasn't around and something bad happened to the village, he knew very well what would happen to him. Sure, he could very well handle the villagers, but he didn't really want to hurt any of them. Even if they'd done it grudgingly, they had treated him well. He had always been an outsider, and he could not so easily forget the kindness those people had been showing him. If they tried to drive him out, he would go. That was all there was to it. He just hoped he wouldn't have to.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Hitoshii's voice pulled the hanyou out of his reverie, and he noticed that they had arrived at their tent. "Are you okay? You were pretty deep in thought there........."

"Aa. I'm fine. Just thinking about some things." Hitoshii wasn't so easily put off this time. It seemed as though the silver-haired youth's evasive answers were beginning to bother him.

"What kind of things?" he pressured, trying to get a straight answer out of his new friend.

"Home." Inuyasha replied, with a vague hint of sadness mixing into his voice. He pulled his bag out of the tent. 'Oh, to hell with it. I can't sleep in that thing, anyway. If they decide to kill me or something, I'll deal with it. I'm faster than they are.'

"I'm sleeping outside. You can have the tent." He muttered gruffly, then headed off to the nearby tree line. Hitoshii's eyes widened in surprise. He glanced in at the tent that now contained only his things, then raised his gaze to follow the other boy's trail.

"Are you s-" Hitoshii stopped mid-sentence. His eyes flew upward. Sure enough, Inuyasha was again perched some twenty feet in the air. "I guess he's sure..." the brunet commented under his breath. "Why does he keep doing that?" He glanced again at the figure perched in the tree, then entered the tent to get some sleep before the hike the next day.

Inside the tent next door, Eri's flood of questions was postponed by the movement of the boys less than five feet away from their tent. Both girls had the same idea at once: 'shhhhhhhhh...'

They both remained silent and listened to the small dialogue between their respective "guys", as Yuka had taken to calling them. Kagome was thrown slightly for a loop.

"My god. There is something seriously wrong with him..." She didn't even notice that she had said it out loud. Quietly, but out loud.

"What do you mean?" Eri asked, puzzled by Kagome's strange reaction. It didn't seem to her to be strange to be thinking about your home when you were on an extended field trip like this. Kagome barely registered the question and answered it automatically, her mind still processing other things.

"He was sad. He actually sounded sad. Something is wrong." Kagome's voice was tinged with worry. Eri was a bit taken aback. She had barely registered the hint of emotion in the boy's voice, but Kagome was acting like it was the end of the world.

"Are you okay, Kagome? You're spacing out on me again!" Eri decided she wanted some real answers (it had nothing to do with the fact that Yuka was waiting for her to report on the whole issue). "You said you'd tell me what's up with you and him, so what is it?" Eri pushed a bit more towards getting Kagome involved in a conversation.

"I did just promise to tell you, didn't I?" Kagome sounded resigned to her fate, but she was still planning to keep all of the really important details well-hidden.

"Yes, you did. Now, first of all, how did you meet him, and how long ago?" Eri noticed Kagome's non-enthusiasm, and brought her own down a notch. She didn't want Kagome to get fed up and refuse to answer anything, after all.

Kagome thought for a moment about how to answer the question. 'Oh! That might work...' she suddenly remembered a lesson they'd had in biology that week.

"You remember my 15th birthday? When I got sick so suddenly and had to go to the hospital?" Eri nodded. They had had a big party planned, but Kagome's mom had called everyone to cancel. They had held the party later, once Kagome was feeling better. They had been told that Kagome was too sick to see anyone at the hospital, and all her friends had felt bad that they couldn't share her birthday with her. "Well," Kagome continued, knowing the story that had been fed to her friends, "I met him there." Eri looked puzzled.

"At the hospital?" she asked incredulously.

"Hm." Kagome nodded. "He has this rare form of, um, albinism. You know, we were talking about it in class this week!" She managed to pull off the lie fairly well, or so she thought.

"But don't albinos have red eyes?" Eri raised an eyebrow. "Plus, he's tan. Albinos can't be out in the sun without a lot of sunscreen, they burn too easily." Kagome cringed inside, but had planned for this possibility in her last comment.

"I said rare form, didn't I? Well, I meant it." She came off sounding a bit miffed, as though her friend had said something too stupid for words. Eri was slightly shocked by this. Her experience with Kagome had not prepared her for the 'new' Kagome that had shown up on this trip. She had sworn, been short with her friends, and seemed to want to stay away from most of the class. What the girl didn't realize was that Kagome was so unused to the noise of being around so many people that she was rapidly developing a headache, and that having to worry about Inuyasha was not helping. 'Of course,' Kagome thought to herself, 'He hasn't actually needed much worrying over. The girls are worse.........'

Eri, meanwhile, was trying to come up with another question that Kagome might be willing to answer.

"Okay, so why isn't he your boyfriend yet? And don't tell me that you don't like him or that he doesn't like you, because you two are way too obvious." Kagome almost refused to dignify that with an answer, but then realized that there was a simple and easy one to give, and it wouldn't make them suspicious in the least.

"He has some issues about an ex-girlfriend of his. I guess I sort of reminded him of her at first, and it's kind of hard to get past that." Kagome sighed involuntarily as Eri processed and stored the information. "It's a bit of a touchy subject, so don't bring it up with him, okay?" The seriousness of the request caught Eri off guard.

"I won't, I promise." She answered just as seriously. And she wouldn't either. That's what accomplices were for. "So, I already know you like him... hmm... I think the next question is why he was afraid of the bus?" Kagome's head snapped up.

"You saw that?" her voice had a note of panic in it, making Eri wonder what had caused it. She nodded. Kagome took a deep breath as she thought up a quick cover. "He's from a really rural town. They don't have buses like that there, so it was his first time seeing one. I can imagine them being pretty scary if you've never seen one. He hasn't really had a lot of access to modern life, since his family was very traditional. He's been staying with us for a while," Eri's ears perked just a little bit more, "so he's learned about TVs and stuff, but he's still kinda naïve..." Kagome trailed off, remembering Inuyasha's first experience with the moving pictures on the screen. Her mother hadn't really appreciated buying a new TV, but Sota loved having the bigger screen to play video games on, so it had worked out alright. 'At least mama doesn't really hold it against him...'

Eri was trying to match all the pieces of the story together. Something didn't fit, but she didn't have any proof that any of it was a lie, so she decided to accept what she had been told for the time being.

"Wow. I didn't know there was anywhere left that was that rural. So, how did he get so good at fighting? He and Hitoshii-kun were really going at it there for a while! I haven't seen anyone be able to stand up to him for that long!" Eri seemed to have moved on to more recent topics, and Kagome was glad. She had enough stuff to fill Inuyasha in on (just in case the girls questioned him later), and didn't feel like answering any more "tough" questions.

"I think he pretty much learned on his own, actually. Maybe he learned some from his father, but I don't know for sure. His father died when he was little." Kagome was glad she could tell her friend some of the truth, anyway. "I think he just sort of picked it up as a hobby."

"Pretty good for a hobby!" Eri exclaimed, then went into a monologue of Hitoshii's various other duels with members of the kendo club. Kagome took the chance to get ready for bed and think about the events of the day, and a little bit about the real answers to her friend's questions.

Inuyasha was perched in a tree right next to the campsite, still thinking. It wasn't as though he would normally have been worrying about such things as the villagers turning against him, but with the way Kagome was acting......... she worked so hard to leave all the time, and she as much as said that he and Miroku weren't considered as good of friends as most of the people on the trip.

'But she spends most of her time with us......... I don't know.' His thought process was disjointed and slow that night, and he wondered why. 'I guess it's been a weird day.' He decided, and determined to focus on something other than Kagome to pass the time. 'That demon earlier.........I wonder what it wanted? It wasn't after the jewel, I'm guessing, or it would have attacked us.........or maybe it's just weak and didn't want to attack such a large group.........so it might come back at night, when no one is watching.' If there was one thing Inuyasha had picked up on immediately, it was that Kagome's classmates had no intention of posting a guard to keep watch all night. It was already much past dark, the fire was going out, and no one was keeping a look-out for anything dangerous. Even if they didn't worry about demons, there were surely still dangerous beasts in the forest, of that, Inuyasha was sure.

"Keh. Stupid humans."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Inuyasha jumped nearly out of his skin, then whorled on the owner of the voice. "YOU!" He jumped up into as much of a fighting stance as he could manage on a tree limb, and wished he hadn't left the Tetsusaiga in his bag on the ground- of course, he still had claws.........

"Whoa! Calm down, dog-boy! Not here to fight, thanks!" Kouga laughed and dropped down to the ground, an obvious invitation for Inuyasha to do the same. He did, although he didn't let down his guard for a second. Then he noticed that something was wrong.

"You're wearing their clothes. Why?" He demanded, glaring at the wolf. Kouga raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So are you. But then again, why wouldn't you be? I assume Kagome-chan forced you into them, but even you have to realize that it's best to fit in around them. They really are pretty funny little things, if you get to know them well enough." He regarded the campsite. "We've sort of been expecting you to show up, actually. Of course, one forgets exact dates after almost 500 years, but there you go." Inuyasha was getting more suspicious by the second.

"You aren't Kouga." The figure-that-wasn't-Kouga laughed, then changed.

"Whoo! You are quick!" the figure in front of him seemed familiar somehow, but in a far-removed sort of way. Like a stranger you sat next to on a plane one time, then happened to see some years later. A sort of deja-vu. "I didn't think you'd figure it out that quickly!"

"Who are you, what do you want, and how do you know that damned wolf?" Inuyasha was getting annoyed. He had been thinking, and had been interrupted by this annoying stranger.

"I'm a friend, my name is Kensuke, I'm here to say 'Hi!' and chat for a while, and I know about Kouga because Kagome left pictures, of course! Despite the fact that it took until computer technology got good enough for anyone to look at them........." the figure, Kensuke, trailed off, mumbling something like 'damn picture cd- don't know how it lasted so long' under his breath. Inuyasha was still glaring at him.

"What?" Kensuke moved closer, into a patch of moonlight that made his features clearer. His red hair glinted a strange tone under the moonlight, and his hazel eyes were glimmering mischievously.

"Hmph. Kitsune." Inuyasha grunted and sat down, as though that were all he needed to know.

"Whaat!?" the fox-demon sat down nearby, grinning at the hanyou. "I beg your pardon, but I am not just a 'kitsune'!" he mimicked Inuyasha's slightly insulting tone on the word perfectly. "I happen to be from a long and distinguished line of kitsune, thank you." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Family isn't everything." He stated gruffly, and in such a way that it effectively ended the conversation.

"Well, then. I guess you don't feel like chatting. I'll see you tomorrow then!" he stood up and brushed off his khaki cargo pants, which had collected several leaves.

"Wait a minute! What do you mean, you'll see me tomorrow!?" Inuyasha was ticked. The kitsune wasn't telling him something (not that he was being very inviting, but that's Inuyasha for you!), and he had a feeling it was something important.

"Oh, you'll see! Then maybe you'll trust me, ne? Oh, keep an eye on my nephew there, will you? Ciao!" The kitsune disappeared as silently as he had originally come, leaving Inuyasha to sort out what had just happened.

"Nephew?"

TO BE CONTINUED 


	10. A Revealing Night Part II

Ch. 10- A WAFFy Interlude—or, A Revealing Night part II

"Nephew?" Inuyasha stood, staring confusedly in the direction the kitsune had gone. He seemed to be heading in the same general direction as the trail Kagome's class would be taking tomorrow, and Inuyasha was worried. Not so much that Kensuke had shown up and would apparently be showing up again, but that Kensuke wasn't the demon that he and Kagome had sensed earlier. Something wasn't sitting quite right in the universe, and it was making Inuyasha uncomfortable.

"Ne? Inuyasha?" He turned around, recognizing the voice instantly. He almost smacked himself for not noticing her approach, but she was downwind, so he felt he had an excuse.

"Aa?" He was, in one way, glad that Kagome had shown up, since he needed to tell her about Kensuke (if only to warn her that he wasn't an enemy so she wouldn't purify him on the spot). But in another way, he almost wished she wasn't there. He had a lot of thinking to do, and most of it involved the raven-haired girl in front of him.

"I sensed a demon." Kagome was beginning to get a little self-conscious. 'I can't believe I'm out here in my pajamas with Inuyasha, just because I thought I sensed a demon. I'm acting like such a baby! I've spent the night in forests full of demons before, and now I'm acting all worried. God, I'm such a dork!' Kagome berated herself, wishing at this point that she hadn't left her tent, and all too aware of the near-transparency of the nightshirt she had packed for the trip.

Inuyasha regarded the girl in front of him. She was shuffling nervously in her bare feet, and hugging her arms to keep warm. He turned away for a moment (provoking a reaction in Kagome that was somewhere between anger and hurt, but that he didn't see), and turned back around holding out his usual red yukata.

"You're cold" He said gruffly to her questioning glance, trying to look anywhere but at her.

"Thank you." She said in a small voice, pulling on the large red shirt and pulling the baggy material around her like a blanket. "So, was there a demon?" Inuyasha nodded.

"A kitsune. He said his name was Kensuke." Kagome's eyes widened.

"A kitsune? Really? Wow. We haven't run into many of those…" She blushed at the look Inuyasha was giving her. "I mean besides Shippo! We haven't run into any adult kitsune, have we?" Inuyasha just grunted.

"Keh. They're all the same as the brat. Annoying, bouncy, and full of tricks."

"But still. So, I'm guessing he's not an enemy, then, or you would have killed him, right?" Kagome still looked worried. "Is he that demon from before? The one from this afternoon?" Inuyasha shook his head.

"No. The one this afternoon didn't seem strong, but it seemed malicious. The kitsune may have been annoying, but he wasn't here to hurt anyone. Besides, kitsune aren't naturally violent, just mischievous." Kagome pondered this (but mostly the fact that Inuyasha used the word "malicious" in a sentence), then spoke.

"So, what did he want then?" She sat down on the grass near the tree Inuyasha had been planning to occupy for the night, and he joined her there.

"Nothing, apparently." Inuyasha thought for a second about the conversation. "He just said he'd see me tomorrow, and to look out for his nephew."

"Nephew?" Kagome sounded just as puzzled as Inuyasha felt.

"Aa. I think he meant someone from your class, but I haven't really sensed anyone with youki." Inuyasha stared off into the night for a moment.

"I guess we'll find out soon." Kagome commented. "Maybe he has something to do with wherever we're heading tomorrow." Inuyasha thought on this.

"He did run off in the direction the trail leads." He commented. "So that might be it. I don't think he had any shards, or even had anything to do with the shards."

"And I didn't sense any, either." Kagome added. It didn't really make sense to her, why a demon would show up to talk to them if it had no interest in the shards at all. Having no idea what else there could be to say, she decided to change topics. "Have you been having a good time so far, Inuyasha?" She looked over at him, tucking her knees up into her chest to keep warm.

The hanyou was really having a hard time concentrating on what she was saying. The sight of her wearing his yukata was bringing back a lot of memories of the past couple years, some more pleasant than others, and several were sparking rather… Miroku-like… thoughts. He managed to register the question somewhere in the back of his mind, and also managed to answer it.

"Aa. It's not so bad, I guess. That Hitoshii guy is alright. He knows how to fight pretty well." Kagome almost rolled her eyes at this. 'Typical Inuyasha. Only worried about how useful someone would be in a fight.'

"Yeah. He's the captain of the Kendo Club, you know, so I would think he would be good at fighting. Eri-chan has a huge crush on him. I had to talk her out of betting for him in your little duel earlier." Inuyasha's ears perked up at that. She had been watching? He hadn't thought that she would care, since she watched him fight all the time anyway. The fact that she had been watching made him wish he had tried a bit harder and actually beat Hitoshii, but then he took that back. It was better that he hadn't dishonored the boy. It was clear that he had a position of some importance with the humans, and it was best that he not disrupt that. He didn't want to get stuck with some strange responsibility that would require him to stay in Kagome's time longer than he had to. It was nice, but it wasn't… home.

"Why didn't you just beat him?" Kagome sounded like the question was something akin to asking for the meaning of life. Inuyasha almost blushed, slightly embarrassed at the knowledge that she had watched him holding back like that.

"It would have dishonored him. I'm not part of your 'class', and if I were to beat him, it would have upset the order here. His position, the 'captain of the kendo club', it's important, isn't it?" Inuyasha spoke like he had been thinking about this for some time, which, in point of fact, he had.

"I suppose it is, a little. Everyone looks up to him, I guess. Anou… Inuyasha, if you're so worried about upsetting the order in my class, why do you keep attacking Kouga-kun whenever he shows up? Wouldn't it upset his pack if you won?" Inuyasha just grunted out a "keh" and sat silently for a minute. Kagome just looked at him expectantly. When he spoke, it was quiet, blending in perfectly with the velvet-like night air.

"Between us, it's different. By youkai standards, I'm well within my rights to challenge the stupid wolf whenever he shows his face near me. He tried to destroy my pack first." Inuyasha was suddenly very interested in the ground, the trees, and anything except Kagome. She didn't seem to realize how tense the conversation was making him.

"You mean when he kidnapped me? But I'm back now, right? So why do you keep fighting him?"

Inuyasha didn't even give her a grunt that time. The subject was uncomfortable. Technically, she was the closest thing he had to a mate, and Kouga had threatened the stability of Inuyasha's 'pack'- unconventional though it was- by taking her away. The instinct to protect his 'mate' was so deeply ingrained in his youkai blood that it was pure instinct to try to kill the wolf whenever he saw him. Kagome's very human desire to be nice to Kouga had thrown a wrench in the works. Normally, whichever of the two was the winner in the fight would have the claim on her, but since the fight never got finished, they were at an impasse- especially considering that she wasn't really mated to either of them. At that point, it was up to her, really, to decide which she would prefer for a mate, and she didn't realize it. By staying with Inuyasha but still being welcoming (at least partially) to the wolf's advances, she was leading both of them on.

'And she doesn't even realize it.' Inuyasha was having a harder time with the concept than Kouga was, he knew. 'Damn wolf only wants a mate. I don't know what I want…' He knew he would like for her to be his mate, very much so. He wouldn't admit it, of course, but way deep down he knew EXACTLY what his jealousy towards Kouga and 'that Ho-ho bastard' meant in terms of Kagome. He just had trouble processing that through to his conscious mind.

Kagome looked at him for another minute, observing the set of his face and ears. He was thinking about something, she could tell. But what, she hadn't a clue. Probably the answer to her question, but it had to be pretty involved for him to be taking so long to think about it. 'Or maybe he has no intention at all of telling me why…' The thought made her sad. She stood up, and turned to go back to her tent. Inuyasha's head snapped up and his gaze fixed on her.

"I'm going to bed now, Inuyasha." She stated, not quite coldly, but just a little more stiffly than usual. "We have another hike ahead of us today. Apparently the trail gets a bit steeper ahead, so the walk tomorrow will be harder than the one today. I'm going to need some sleep." Inuyasha stood, then started walking towards the class' campsite. "Inuyasha?" Kagome stood where she was, watching him. He didn't turn around, but she could hear his next words anyway.

"Hurry up. The woods are still dangerous at night, even in your time." Kagome's eyes brightened a little, and a smile crept onto her face. She took a couple quick steps to catch up to him, then caught his hand in hers. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed and folded his fingers around hers.

"Thank you." She whispered softly. They walked the rest of the way back in silence, hand in hand, without looking at the other. If they had, they would have noticed the smiles and blushes adorning both of their faces.


End file.
